Manchester United news: Eric Bailly hits back at ‘disrespectful’ Graeme Souness after Brighton performance
Red Devils defender concedes whole team struggled but believes pundits were too harsh on him
Manchester United centre-back Eric Bailly has hit back at Graeme Souness for his ‘disrespectful’ comments about his performance against Brighton last weekend, in .
The Red Devils lost 3-2 at the Amex Stadium and while the team as a whole were poor, Bailly was singled out for his mistakes in the defeat.
At fault for Shane Duffy’s goal and the man who gave away the penalty for Brighton’s third, the Ivorian had a tough day at the office.
But he believes the stinging comments about his performance were over the top with Souness saying the player didn’t know “if he’s in New York or New Year.”
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“I always take criticism well when they are constructive, when they are there to help and I actually like criticism but in a positive way,” said Bailly.
“But what Graeme Souness said was a little bit disrespectful because it became so personal and it’s not the sort of criticism that can help a young player improve and become a better player.”
“I think the criticism was a bit harsh, particularly from people who have played the game and have probably made mistakes themselves during their career,” he continued.
“As young players, we need support from these people. If we got more support from these people, that can help us. But negative comments all of the time doesn’t help the young players or the team.
“It was not just one individual performance on Sunday. It was the whole team that struggled. But it was just one battle lost, not the whole war.
“But it’s one game. We cannot forget that. We shouldn’t just focus on the negative, build on the positive and starting with Tottenham on Monday.”
And as Bailly continues to search for improvements to his game, the player believes more leniency should be given as he is still adapting to life in the English top-flight.
“I think my career has been positive so far,” he added. “Yes, my second season was difficult because of injuries but you have to remember I was coming from a different championship in Spain.
“You have to remember the Premier League is very difficult, very different and physical. But I think I adapted well and largely my career has been very positive.
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“The critics are sometimes good, sometimes bad. But this is my third season and up to now, the critics have always been positive.
"So one piece of negativity will not change my goal and my target which is to become a very good player for Manchester United.
“I’m still smiling because I know what I can do. It doesn’t change anything. Sometimes you can have a bad day, the best thing is not to think about it too much, not to let it affect you and focus on the next game and making a positive response.”